I sat quietly on the pristine white platform, holding a glass of Morning Dew Wine. The black connective matter surrounding me had opened up a vast expanse, making my surroundings resemble a circular plaza.
I gazed silently at the potted plant on the black table beside me. The white tree shimmered with a faint light. I had just bid farewell to Heavenly Soul, hoping he could come to terms with certain things. It was time for him to understand. I had no intention of erasing the self-awareness of Heavenly Soul and Earthly Soul.
These two consciousnesses, which should never have existed, were derived from me—or perhaps, born after being taught by John Chou.
To my left, on a white table, sat Endbringer—a black sphere of lightning crackling noisily. I snapped my fingers, and the sphere quieted down. I smiled.
"No matter what, it's time to part ways. Whatever happens to those two from now on has nothing to do with me. For now, they coexist, likely inside the body of some mortal in the Living World. Heh."
I slowly floated upward, waving one hand. At that moment, men and women—lost souls—began to appear on the ground. A crowd of lost souls stared vacantly at me.
"Do you wish to return to the Living World?"
I shouted loudly. Suddenly, the lost souls seemed to awaken. I laughed heartily—they were souls swallowed by Infernal Hell. Countless souls had been devoured, and I had merely released them. Many of the stronger souls retained a trace of awareness, though only fragments. When I mentioned the Living World, a glimmer appeared in the hollow eyes of some powerful souls.
"Fight! I want the strongest souls. Use any means—devour or kill each other, it doesn't matter. Nine men, nine women. Only eighteen of you can return to the Living World. If you understand, begin. I want the strongest."
I laughed excitedly and snapped my fingers. Suddenly, the souls around me began to wail, raising their hands and opening their mouths, fighting each other. I clapped my hands, and several attendants slowly appeared.
"Take Endbringer and Origin. Bring me the best materials from Infernal Hell—I need only the finest. Do you understand?"
I spoke coldly, smiling as faceless attendants with mist-like lower bodies drifted over. They carried white potted plants and spheres of lightning into the distance.
"Hurry up! The slower you are, the fewer chances you'll have. Kill one more and you increase your odds!"
I shouted loudly. Some souls had already perished, swallowed again by Infernal Hell. I would give no second chances to failures; once dead, I would not pull them out of Hell again. Instead, I would keep summoning lost souls until the strongest eighteen emerged. These souls would be used to forge Infernal Weapons, and once these weapons were born in the Living World, I would seize the initiative.
"Damn Wraithlord, our goals shouldn't have conflicted, yet you want to create some bullshit new world. When I tear off your head, I'll make sure you suffer in this Hell forever."
I laughed, then looked upward and snapped my fingers. A streak of yellow light descended, and a person appeared before me, smiling faintly before kneeling on the ground.
"You heard I returned so quickly, Hades."
The figure before me was named Hades, one of the twin wardens of Infernal Hell. He desperately wished to break free of his chains, so he was eager to fulfill my requests. But I would never set him free—I would let him and Nina Underwood remain forever as Hell's gatekeepers, relishing their eternal misery as a couple.
"So how should I address you? Ethan Zhang? Or Infernal Hell itself!"
I laughed heartily.
"Just call me Ethan Zhang."
Hades smiled coldly, sticking out his tongue. On his tongue was a black spot, like a bloodstain—my Hell Imprint. He could never betray me. The real problem now was that the bastard Wraithlord had stolen my memories, so no one could tell me what Ethan Zhang had truly experienced.
"Tell me, Hades—who holds Coexistence now?"
"Sorry, Ethan Zhang. You used to know who held Coexistence, so I can't tell you. By the way, what are you doing?"
I raised my hand, and Hades rose from the ground. I walked over, laughing heartily.
"Let them keep fighting. I need to find the strongest souls and forge eighteen Infernal Weapons, personally granting them Hell's will. All this is to oppose the Wraithlord. Is your damned clan leader, Loraine Locke, still indifferent?"
Hades shook his head.
"Lady Loraine is just as before—she refuses to get involved."
I snorted coldly.
"If she would only submit to me, the Wraithlord wouldn't be able to unite the Seven Souls. Fate truly is unpredictable."
"Ethan Zhang, hearing those words from your mouth now is truly strange."
I smiled and shook my head.
"No matter what, tell your wife, Nina Underwood: If you truly want liberation, keep using those Underworld Denizens you've empowered. Offer them to me as sacrifices and keep expanding—I need the souls of these endlessly reincarnating people."
I spoke, wiping the saliva dripping from the corner of my mouth.
"I'm starving—craving to devour them. These souls, tainted by countless cycles of worldly desires, are chaotic yet delicious. Eating them one by one would be a treat. How many Underworld Denizens are there now?"
"There are 633,876 in total, and the number keeps growing. The Four Guardians have arrived in the Living World, and the power of the Underworld Denizens increases daily."
[Irrelevant system message skipped.]
I flexed my fingers.
"If I eat one a day, it would take centuries. Find a way to grow the number of Underworld Denizens to over ten million. This war needs massive strength, doesn't it? The Underworld Court will tacitly approve."
Hades nodded.
"Is it really necessary to go to such trouble? Just bring Hell's power directly into the Living World."
"Of course it's necessary. The Wraithlord has already developed power to counter me. Without Hell's power, I can't defeat him."
"It could take more than a century. It's unlikely you'll return to the Living World again, since all your vessels there are gone."
I sneered at Hades. He was still probing—he'd always been this cunning. That's why I would never let him go; he would suffer Hell's torment forever. It was the perfect punishment for such a schemer.
"Of course I still have a backup plan."
Sure enough, Hades's expression changed dramatically. I placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You want to betray me, tell everything to the Underworld Court, or someone else—even the Earthly Soul. Too bad, you can't. Because you and Nina Underwood sacrificed yourselves to defeat the Wraithlord. Back then, you both promised to be my slaves forever, so I reluctantly severed the Wraithlord's power. Only then could you defeat him, and the Yin-Yang Realm survive to this day."
"You don't have to remind me. I remember the vow my wife and I made back then."
I grunted in reply.
"Why doesn't your wife come down?"
"She hates you and is full of loathing. If you say even a few words, she'll probably attack you."
I burst out laughing.
"You should call her down anyway. I have no interest in women, haha. I just want you both to weigh in—if nine men and nine women souls are fused into hellish material to forge weapons named after The Eighteen Hells, what should we call them?"
Hades smiled coldly, watching the souls still fighting. Only eighteen remained. I clapped my hands.
"Alright, you eighteen are the reserves. Go stand by the platform."
As I spoke, many souls' eyes gleamed strangely as they moved to the platform. With a wave of my hand, they instantly curled into balls and were compressed into gravel-like lumps.
"As long as there are nine men and nine women left, Hell will release new souls. When enough are killed, the winners of each group will fight again, until I'm satisfied."
One by one, souls with pained expressions began to emerge from the ground. I sat back in my chair.
"Let it begin."
Hades stared coldly as, at my command, the souls began to slaughter each other instantly.
"Truly cruel—you're making them suffer death's torment again."
I nodded.
"It's inevitable."
"Is there not a trace of Ethan Zhang left in your mind?"
Hades asked.
"Of course there is. But Hell's will is stronger now. It doesn't matter anymore. I just want to drag that bastard Wraithlord here and torment him—the plan I've worked on for so long was ruined by him."
Hades floated up. Suddenly, as a joke, I snapped my fingers—instantly, Hades was back on the platform, kneeling. I walked over and grabbed his hair.
"Didn't you hear what I just said?"
With a whoosh, I smiled. A streak of ghostly green light flashed down, severing my hand that was gripping Hades. I quickly retreated, laughing loudly.
"Nina Underwood, what's wrong? Feeling sorry for your husband?"
I looked at the woman crouching beside Hades. She looked seventeen or eighteen, strikingly beautiful, with a cold face, a dark green dress, and eyes full of anger as she glared at me.
"Alright, I'll leave this to you two. I'm going to check on the idiots sorting my materials."
As I spoke, I slowly floated up. With a thought, I felt my fingertips brush a smooth cheek. Nina Underwood's clear voice rang out behind me.
"One day, I will kill you."